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Petroleum engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Dimitrios Bolkas,

Dr. Dimitrios Bolkas

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical petroleum engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for petroleum engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.6% of petroleum engineer resumes contained reservoir engineering as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a petroleum engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 petroleum engineer skills for your resume and career

1. Reservoir Engineering

Here's how petroleum engineers use reservoir engineering:

Worked in production and reservoir engineering positions in Oklahoma City and Midland District offices and in Mid-Continent Division office.
Completed company training program consisting of rotation between drilling, production and reservoir engineering departments.

2. Eclipse

Here's how petroleum engineers use eclipse:

Simulated flow efficiency in hydraulic/natural fractures using dual porosity/permeability models in Eclipse.
Executed Reservoir Simulation (Eclipse) for development concept planning and business plan.

3. Production Engineering

Here's how petroleum engineers use production engineering:

Specialized in Production Engineering and provided engineering support to field operations.
Job description: Covered all work in production engineering and water injection plant laboratory.

4. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how petroleum engineers use business development:

Performed other business development and projects for small consulting firm as requested.
Create and maintain financial models for projects and business development.

5. Petrel

Petrel is a software program used for the exploration and production processes of the petroleum sector. Petrel was released on 26th July 2015 by Schlumberger. It allows the user to build various reservoir models, calculate the capacity, produce maps, and design development strategies so the reservoir can function at its maximum potential. The software's additional advantage is that it allows managing risk and uncertainty throughout the reservoir's life.

Here's how petroleum engineers use petrel:

Well Path Design Petrel 2009.1 Worked with Client to improve accuracy of imported of trajectories from 3rd party software.
Use of Petrel and MEPO for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis using experimental design.

6. AFE

AFE stands for Amniotic Fluid Embolism. It is a rare life-threatening acute birth complication that occurs when the amniotic fluid or the fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus enters the mother's bloodstream. AFE creates an instant fatal allergic-like reaction that affects both the baby and the mother.

Here's how petroleum engineers use afe:

Managed, control and forecast the budget of 15 Authorization for Expenditures(AFE), reducing budget overages.
Evaluated AFE's, acquisitions, screened prospects, and monitored operated and non-operated activities.

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7. Economic Analysis

Economic analysis refers to examining or assessing issues or topics from an economist's point of view. The goal of such analysis is to find out how efficiently the economy or something within it is functioning. For example, a company's economic analysis would involve determining the profit it is making. According to some economists, economic analysis involves a systematic approach to determine how to use scarce resources optimally. To perform economic analysis, you should have analytical, communication, critical thinking, mathematical, statistical, and writing skills, in addition to being detail-oriented.

Here's how petroleum engineers use economic analysis:

Participated at technical committee meetings and influenced the operators field development and facility designs by presenting technical and economic analysis.
Provide a full range of petroleum engineering services focusing on detailed economic analysis.

8. Technical Support

Technical support or tech support are the services provided by any hardware or software company to users. They help in solving the technical difficulties the customers face with their products or services. Moreover, the tech support employees maintain, manage, and repair the IT faults. They are also responsible for resolving the network problems, installing and configuring hardware and software.

Here's how petroleum engineers use technical support:

Supplied technical support and worked closely with the field and asset development team.
Provided technical support to COO, drilling/completions and production managers.

9. Technical Reports

Technical reports are a type of document that is used to indicate either the progress, result, or process of scientific research or the state of problems occurring within such research. A technical report may also showcase the report's overall conclusion and may also include recommendations. This kind of report does not require a peer review and isn't published officially but distributed within the organizations where it was formed.

Here's how petroleum engineers use technical reports:

Generate technical reports for various clients describing technique and methodology of well abandonment and decommissioning.
Write technical report for engineering and drilling report.

10. BLM

BLM, an acronym for Black Lives Matter is an international decentralized activist and social movement, originating in the African-American community that protests against violence, discrimination and inequality of mental health, the LGBT community and voting rights, police brutality, and systemic racism toward black people.

Here's how petroleum engineers use blm:

Help construct the first Safety Committee for BLM of Wyoming.
Conducted H2S safety training and provided oversight of the BLM H2S safety program for the Cody and Worland Field Offices.

11. Aries

Here's how petroleum engineers use aries:

Experienced in evaluation of oil and gas properties, using ARIES and working with Ryder-Scott and Netherland-Sewell.
Monitored and forecasted production performance and economics using ARIES software.

12. Workovers

Here's how petroleum engineers use workovers:

Assisted in reviewing bids on workovers and coordinating/scheduling well services operations.
Prepared workover procedures and directed operations on approximately 25 wells.

13. Production Operations

Production operations are the process through which a business turns its resources into goods or services. Production operations include activities such as manufacturing, production, procurement, inventory, and shipment. These operations turn raw materials into consumable products or services through human resources and automation.

Here's how petroleum engineers use production operations:

Conducted reserves certification and production operations modeling validation for light oil integrated offshore fields for PETROSA (South Africa).
Reported to top management production operations * Performed retrofit studies for process and piping design of offshore processing platforms.

14. Completion Operations

Here's how petroleum engineers use completion operations:

Utilized a team-centered approach, working with multiple professionals in coordination of completion operations and well activities.
Supervised and managed production personnel, completion operations and facilities.

15. Engineering Analysis

The application of scientific analytic processes and principles to reveal the state and properties of a device, system, or mechanism under study is called engineering analysis.

Here's how petroleum engineers use engineering analysis:

Assisted oil producers in submitting injection permits and conducted engineering analysis of permit applications.
Perform engineering analysis using company and industry methodologies and standards.

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What skills help Petroleum Engineers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on petroleum engineer resumes?

Dr. Dimitrios Bolkas

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Having a four-year degree is a big plus in our field, as well as having passed the SIT before or shortly after graduation. A high GPA is important for bargaining a higher salary. Aso, having completed an internship is important because it shows that the graduate already has working experience.

What soft skills should all petroleum engineers possess?

Dr. Dimitrios Bolkas

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University

The most important soft skills for surveyors are teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. These are needed every day in surveying.

What hard/technical skills are most important for petroleum engineers?

Dr. Dimitrios Bolkas

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Using a total station and GPS instruments for data collection as needed and using CAD software for drawing.

What petroleum engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Galen Duree

Head of the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering and Professor, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

It again depends on what the graduate sees as their next step - graduate school or a job with a company or lab. If the next step is graduate school, the graduate should investigate what they are interested in pursuing and then where the best school is to get the experience that the graduate thinks he or she wants.

General reading about technologies or reading available articles about subjects the graduate is interested in will help generate questions they can ask potential graduate schools. This time would also be a chance to improve areas where the graduate may feel weak while an undergraduate. Many online resources can help them brush up on week background topics. Do not worry about transfer credits because that is usually not helpful in graduate school, but improve knowledge and experience in areas where the graduate feels weak. If the graduate has identified a graduate school and program to study in, the graduate school might have some recommendations about what to review. All of this will help improve success in graduate school.

If the next step is a job with a company or lab, taking courses to improve communication will help. Many technically competent or even technically brilliant people struggle with effective communication. Techniques about writing reports, making oral presentations, or communicating technical information will help improve success. The gap year also provides time to investigate technologies that the graduate wants to be involved in and the companies or labs in those areas.

Once the graduate has identified areas of interest and companies or labs that the graduate might want to work for, they can be contacted to either answer questions or point the graduate in a direction for further investigation.

In either case, a gap year can provide a chance to refine the graduate's choice for the next steps and help them prepare other skills overlooked during the undergraduate years.

What type of skills will young petroleum engineers need?

John Ring

Director Engineering Outreach, Elon University

While our universities consistently educate engineering students with hard skills and strong engineering fundamentals, tomorrow's engineers need to be strong communicators, collaborators, and critical thinkers. Our professional environments are filled with data and information, and the constraint is typically how much time individuals can dedicate to solving a problem. At Elon University, we educate tomorrow's engineers to have the hard skills necessary to analyze the information and situations, apply critical thinking techniques to determine ways to solve the issue, and then concisely and efficiently communicate with colleagues as solutions are being set in motion.

Do you want to know more?

List of petroleum engineer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a petroleum engineer resume and required skills for a petroleum engineer to have include:

Reservoir Engineering
Eclipse
Production Engineering
Business Development
Petrel
AFE
Economic Analysis
Technical Support
Technical Reports
BLM
Aries
Workovers
Production Operations
Completion Operations
Engineering Analysis
Well Completion

Engineering Support
Well Design
Cost Estimates
EOR
Production Data
ESP
Field Development
CO2
Log Analysis
MM
Decline Curve Analysis
Optimize Production
Economic Evaluations
Business Plan
Oil Recovery
Material Balances

Gas Lift
Hydraulic Fracturing
MATLAB
H2S
Oil Production
PVT
Data Analysis
Artificial Lift Systems
Production Forecasts
Production Facilities
Production Reports
Production Rates
CAPEX
Regulatory Agencies

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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